1. Field of the Invention.
The present invention relates to protective enclosing apparatus for electrical devices, and more particularly, to apparatus which provide protection against mechanical impacts and static electricity discharges for electronic devices having coplanar terminal leads.
Competitive costs, the need for increasing the numbers functions performed by electronic circuits in smaller spaces, and the need for increasing the rapidity of circuit operations are among the primary factors which lead to continual demand for monolithic integrated circuit chips to have increases in the numbers of electronic components contained therein as fast as technology advances permit. Since the size of the semiconductor chips in which monolithic integrated circuits are formed has been increasing only modestly for quite some time, component densities on the chip must increase significantly to meet this demand. Such density increases mean that smaller and smaller structural portions or features are required in forming each electronic device and the interconnections in such monolithic integrated circuit chips to thereby permit the necessary component density increases. A result of the use of such smaller structural portions is that these portions are more susceptible to irreversible changes because of static electricity discharges.
A further corollary of the factors forcing monolithic integrated circuit chips to have greater component densities therein is that the housings for such chips and terminal leads therefrom must be kept as small in size as possible to realize the value of increasing density of components in the chips. This permits as many such chips as possible to be assembled into systems taking up no more, and hopefully less, physical volume. Thus, the housing structures themselves are becoming more delicate as the various structural aspects of them are reduced in size.
Yet, despite the use of more delicate structural portions, the requirement for these dense monolithic integrated circuit chips placed in such reduced size housings continues that they still be able to withstand various environmental rigors. To insure this, such housed chips must be tested in environments simulating those in which they are to be used.
There is, as a result, the need for external protective arrangements to permit handling of such monolithic integrated circuit chips as contained in the more delicate housings being provided therefor. Further, such external handling apparatus must provide for eliminating the risks of static electricity accumulations thereon, or on such housings, if the structures in the chips are to be prevented from suffering discharge damage. Further, this apparatus must be capable of permitting tests of such monolithic integrated circuit chips, including tests at elevated temperatures or in other difficult environments.